Linwood girl shot in head now in coma

The 5-year-old Linwood-area girl who suffered a gunshot wound to the head Feb. 23 is in a coma, according to an information hot line about her condition.

Katherine Cook has been in the pediatric unit of Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., since the shooting. She had surgery Friday to relieve pressure in her head. A CAT scan is scheduled for today to measure how much swelling remains in the back of her head, and doctors are hopeful it will continue to decrease.

Katherine is moving her body, but doctors are not calling it "purposeful" movement, because she is not responding to physical stimuli. The hot line said her left arm has not moved since Friday, and that she is breathing through a ventilator. Doctors are slowly taking her off sedatives and other stabilizing medication to see how she will respond.

Katherine was shot Feb. 23 as she played with her brothers outside her home, which is about 3 miles east of Linwood in southern Leavenworth County.

Officials believe the shooting was accidental, but are asking for the public's help in determining how the girl was shot. Anyone with information related to the shooting is asked to call the Leavenworth County sheriff's office detective division at (913) 758-4082.